My Back Hurts.

[Pike]

So my new job involves me bending over all the time and lifting things and picking things up and it makes my back hurt like a mofo at the end of the day. How does one go about making it feel better? Huxley is all the way over theeeeeeere until our next visit so making him give me a back rub is sadly not an option at the moment.

How do you guys un-stiffen your backs?

[Jinx]

I don't. I have incredibly stiff shoulders. To the point, I have knots that feel like bone.

[Quindiana Jones]

I use a rolled up blanket. Lie down on your back, put the rolled up blanket where the ache is, then simply enjoy. Just lying on your bed will do the trick.

[Tigmafuzz]

When I had back problems I used to lie on the floor and stick my legs up as though I were sitting on a sideways chair, extend them at the knee until they were straight up and then bring them back down. After doing that a few times I would stay lying completely flat, slowly letting my back relax until the pain went away. Also, make sure stretch the second you wake up, during the day multiple times, and before you sleep. It will keep your back from tensing up too much and it'll be easier to relieve the pain. I remember seeing an infomercial for some little machine that basically stretches your legs and back while you're resting or something. Back2Life - 12 Minute Back Pain Solution!

[Faris]

Chiropractor, massage therapy, yoga classes, stretches, and putting intense heat on painful areas. Due to back pain, I have to sleep with a zillion pillows in specific areas depending on the position I fall asleep in.

Feel free to ask me about stretches if you want.

[Sephex]

I first read the thread title as "My Black Hurts" and wondered where Pike was ****ing going with her funky stuff.

Okay, so lie flat on the floor and slowly push only your torso up with arching your back. Then crunch you body inwards slowly by bringing your torso to you knees. Hope I am describing this right. Anyway, it works for me.

Also Vicodin.

[Tigmafuzz]

Also Vicodin.

The three V's of happiness: Vicodin, Valium, Vodka.
The extra V of happiness for men: Viagra.
The extra V of happiness for women: guess.

[Shorty]

Make Huxley buy you a massage package at Massage Envy!

Alternatively, for your gaming needs when you're not working.

I have hella knots in my back and I've been meaning to get a massage for ages but I just haven't got around to it

[Iceglow]

Working out. Seriously. I do my back excercises and sure it feels like a bitch at first but once I get on with it it'll loosen up real good. By the time you've done it a while your back will be stronger meaning you'll be able to do more with less back ache. My best mate swears by this as well because he had severe trouble with his back for months and months. I got him doing the same back muscle workouts as I was doing with weights appropriately tuned to his body. My theory is as well it eases the pain because it forces your spine in to the correct alignment and thus corrects your posture.

[Jiro]

Chiro solves my back pain generally. If it's purely muscular then I just use a rolled up towel or even a tennis ball and work out the kinks.

[Hollycat]

Hint, drink lots of cold green tea (maybe sweet iced green tea)

[Trumpet Thief]

I started having back pains after my summer job as well. My best advice is to stretch (I'll try to find the stretches that I used to do). Beyond that, my pain went away about two/three weeks after I quit my job. Don't mean to be pessimistic here, but hopefully a combination of stretching and/or working out (along with some of the other suggestions) should help you out. For the most part, light stretching and a few weeks of rest were enough to get rid of my backpain.

Best of luck.

[Iceglow]

A second thought would be make sure you're doing the manual handling correctly. If you're lifting a weight at arms reach it's like lifting 10x the weight so a 10kg box at arms length is like lifting 100kg. Also, don't bend at the waist, bend at the knees squat lifts are a lot better for your back.

[krissy]

^^^^!!!!

don't bend your back

bend your knees

and do sit ups, your ab muscles should compensate for some of the strain places on your back in this job

[NorthernChaosGod]

Do deadlifts.